Mesa no own Naruto.
Seito: Hello peeps! It's five minutes to 1 in the morning and I'm here writing these notes and finishing up the chapter for you. (just in case you're wondering, I write my notes after I finish writing the chapter) Aren't you guys lucky? And lookie it only took me a week! I swear, I love writing for you guys waaaaaayyyy to much. I should be using this time to do homework. Warning!! We're talking overload of information in this chapter!! We apologize!! We threw in Seika again!
Review Response
Wah! So little reviews!!
To Firehedgehog
O.O It's you!!!! -faints. Hotaru pokes Seito- Hotaru: She's out cold… Seika: What did you expect? Firehedgehog is one of her favorite authors. Hotaru: Let's see Seito left a note. 'Thank you for reviewing! Can't wait for your next update! –Seito'
To ghostninja85
-Wakes up- Is one week soon enough? (Actually it's a little over a week since FF. net had that update.) I enjoyed the chibi scene too. We also got to answer some of the questions you (it was you right?) asked earlier. You'll see went you get there. –whispers- La/-/er updated DR have you read it yet?
To Yum
Sasuke didn't stop Shin because I needed Sasuke not to stop him! Actually I don't know the real reason but somehow Sasuke was suppose to let Shin leave. (La/-/er- ::cough:: I was supposed to do something about that... but at the time, I couldn't find a good enough reason) The reason why Sasuke let Shin leave will be explained in this chapter.
To animelvr4evr
Yeah, the last chapter was a bit confusing but if you don't read carefully though this chapter, I promise you'll be even more confused.
To everyone else who reviewed
THANK YOU!!!!!!
(Note from La/-/er: I see that everyone is a bit confused about the chapter. I'm suspecting it's mostly from the beginning and the end, the middle is pretty clear, no? Well, except for a few comments here and there... Anyway, as you could've seen from the last chapter, the first few pages were separated into a lot of sections. The first was in Iruka's POV, right when he first woke up. The second section is a bit messed up, but it was supposed to be Shin a little while after talking to Sasuke (this would be a lot of time after Iruka woke up in the first section), but I forgot I did this ::sweatdrop:: making Shin leave right after. But basically, Shin was wondering if he should really leave, and instead of being able to go back to Lee's house, he did it within a split second. Third section is Iruka in the "present" and fourth is Shin in the same time frame as the second, changed from being in his room to the split second Shin decided to leave. The fifth section was Iruka talking to Kakashi, but his words are weird since he's still confused about what happened in his "dream". A few things in here prolly didn't make sense to you, but that's on purpose. Whew... the sixth section is Shin again, and you definitely shouldn't be able to understand anything except the part where he decided to leave, since at the time, I didn't understand it myself. The rest is self-explanatory. I was originally going to put this note at the end of my chapter, but I didn't want to wait another day to post it, which is what I would've done if I put it in as I uploaded the chapter when I was supposed to be sleeping.
Now even if you didn't just read that really, really, really long note, I'm telling to all you people out there that a lot of the things that you were confused about in my chapter was a result of me rushing, so I'll promise that I won't do that again. On the other hand... Seito's not rushing... so I can guarantee that if you're confused... you're supposed to be.)
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Without Life
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Chapter IX
Answers and Questions
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Shin walked through the forest that helped marked the territory of Konohagakure. Leaving Konoha was an easy task, leaving with the fact that he didn't say goodbye was what was eating at him. Walls couldn't stop him, regret could.
Shin closed his eyes, trying to focus his thoughts. Even though she was miles away, he could still feel the lingering emotions that continued to war in his sister. Knowing that something was troubling Hotaru in turn troubled him. There was little that could truly bother Hotaru.
The trees cast their shadows onto the ground and the dead leaves made a crunching sound as Shin trended over them. The thick foliage around him offered much shade but little concealment. It was growing late as the shadows began to grow longer. The bright sun traveled closer and closer to the horizon.
Shin turned his thoughts away from Hotaru, and towards his own problems. While his mind was still a bit numb to how Hotaru reacted to him subconsciously calling her and how Sasuke could see her, he had to focus on Kage. That man… he was always one step ahead of Shin, ahead of Hotaru (that alone was an impressive feat). Somehow Kage knew… but what was he planning? All this time, if Kage truly just wanted to kill him, he would have done that already. After all, there were more than one opportunity to kill him. Still… it was like everything was just one big game and Shin was merely a pawn and Kage was the game master.
Then there was the matter of Konoha…
During his short stay there, he had grown attached to the village. Unlike anywhere else he had traveled to, he felt comfortable there. It was like a home… Even though he was a stranger, people greeted him with warm welcomes. Shin had found himself making friends and for once, found himself living a normal life. Then Kage came and ruined it. Now, once again, Shin was forced to leave something he loved behind and continue on his journey to find Kage.
With his heart was heavy with regret, his mind convinced that no one will truly missed him; Shin didn't expect to be followed…
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In a place where you could consider it a parallel dimension, Hotaru flopped onto her bed, exhausted. Her room, if that's what you would call it, was plain. It contained only her gray bed and a few other pieces of furniture. Trinkets were stored away in places you could call dimensional pockets so that they would not take up space. The room didn't seem to have a beginning or end as no walls could be seen, nor a door. The color of the room seem to reflect what Hotaru was feeling. It was painted a royal purple color as depression, apprehension, anger and frustration warred inside of her.
Several factors were making her feel that way.
Shin was unhappy and miserable and Hotaru hated seeing her little brother like that
Kage still couldn't be found
She still couldn't find out how Kage escaped in the first place
Kyuubi was annoying her like crazy
The thought of another village/person suffering because of the journey Shin and she were on was troubling her
Hotaru breathed deep breaths as she tried to calm herself. Warring emotions often gotten her in trouble in the past. That was reason why she always tried to remain calm and in control. Losing control was something she didn't want to do and she was pretty sure the world didn't want a massacre or a war in their hands.
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Sasuke leaped from the branch to branch. He made a mistake of letting Shin leave without answering his questions. Now the boy had disappeared, apparently having left the village. Sasuke, on the other hand, wasn't about to let the boy walk away without getting some answers. There was just something about him…
Fate seemed to smile upon the Uchiha boy as he discovered the person he was looking for just a few yards ahead of him. "Shin!"
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Miles away in a dark room, bright crimson red eyes snapped open. That aura… the boy had left his comfort zone and returned to the road again. "Noinim wodahs." From the shadows, five dark shapes raced away and towards the direction of the one they seeked. They moved like sharks did through water, passing through rocks and trees as if they were not there.
A sinister smirk graced his face. Yes… like a puppet master controlling his puppets he would make sure that the boy and the ones he cared about suffered…
After all… a blow to the boy was in turn a mental wound to her…
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"Shin!"
Shin turned around quickly. His red and blue eyes widened in shock as he recognized who it was. He did not expect Sasuke to follow him. In fact, he was sure that no one would notice his disappearance until tomorrow morning when Lee discovered that his guest had not returned home or found the letter Shin left behind explaining his disappearance.
Sasuke jumped down from the tree branch and landed on the ground with a light 'thud'. "I want some answers, Shin," he stated calmly.
Shin turned away, knowing that anything he told Sasuke would only hurt the dark haired boy in the long run. "As Hotaru said, even though you ask, I won't answer." Shin began to continue his path away from Konoha.
However, Sasuke wasn't about to give up. "Who exactly is Hotaru? Who are you really, Shin? Explain!"
Shin remained silent.
Sasuke surprised himself as he began to feel angry. Anger was something he knew. Something he knew very well when he was younger. After all it was the only thing he felt beside hatred. But he had detached himself from his emotions for so long, to feel something like anger again was surprising. Very surprising. However, Sasuke had also grown wiser and knowing that anger would never get him the answers he seeked, he bit his tongue and turned away his anger. He would try a different approach to receive the answers he hunted for.
"Until a year ago, a Snow Shinobi lived in Konoha. She ran a weapons shop which I visited it everyday. She used to tell me all sorts of legends and myths. One that stands out was her belief that Life and Death were angels of opposite kinds. She even suggested that they were one being. I thought it was a silly idea until that night I heard Iruka-sensei was hurt." Sasuke noted that Shin tensed a bit as he spoke of that night. He continued on with his story, "I saw a black angel, exactly as that Snow Shinobi described. I also saw Hotaru approach you after the first fire was put out and I saw her again before you left. That black angel, Death, that was Hotaru, right?"
Shin froze completely. Not realizing that his body language was pretty much confirming Sasuke's suspicion, Shin turned to face Sasuke. "What makes you think that, Uchiha-san?" asked Shin. He still didn't understand how Sasuke was even able to see Hotaru in the first place.
"There's a resemblance to the black angel and Hotaru. With the exception that one wing was white and the hair and eye color was different, Hotaru and Death looked alike. Hotaru has brown hair and purple eyes with one white wing and one black wing. Death on the other hand, has black hair, red eyes, and both wings are black. So unless Hotaru has identical twin, they are probably one in the same." Sasuke didn't miss a beat as he explained his theory.
Behind his scarf, Shin smirked. "In the end, it doesn't matter. What you say is just words and you don't have any evidence to back it up." Sasuke bit his lip, knowing it was true. Shin decided to turn the tables and ask a question. "They say you only see the black angel after you have died. Those who have seen her and lived to tell the tale are either extremely lucky or have Death or Fate's blessing. Somehow I doubt you fall into one of those categories. Care to explain how you could see her and Hotaru?"
Sasuke already knew the answer to that one and he had Seika to thank for that. Seika apparently read too many legends and myths in her free time. "It was another legend that the Snow Shinobi told me. She said that there used to be a race of beings whom could remain invisible to humans. They were immortals, but to my understanding they could still die. She said there were only three types of eyes that could see those immortal beings, even if they were invisible: Immortal Eyes, Demon Eyes, and God Eyes. Every being of that race possessed Immortal Eyes; they could see their own kind no matter what. Demon Eyes belonged to the demons that roamed the world, though only the strongest of the demons could see the beings. God Eyes were like Demon Eyes, the only difference was that humans possessed God Eyes and only a select few humans could see that race. I believe that I fall under the God Eyes category."
Shin's eyebrow rose. That was something new. He would definitely ask Hotaru about that one when he saw her again. He probably possessed Demon Eyes because of Kyuubi. Nevertheless, Shin began to walk away. Nightfall was approaching and that was the most dangerous time to be out. Kage lived up to his name well, being a master of shadows as well as fire.
As soon as Shin finished that thought, mental alarms went off in his head.
Danger!
Danger!
Danger!
Right on cue, five black shapes came racing towards Sasuke and Shin. Fins projected out like shark fins that cut through the water. "Uchiha-san get out of here!" warned Shin. Sasuke didn't move, shocked at what was happening. Luckily, he snapped out of it just in time to jump out of the way. However, as soon as Sasuke landed a few feet away, one of the black blots leapt up from the ground, took the shape of a rabid bulldog and leapt towards Sasuke. Sasuke managed to plant a single punch into the stomach of the black bulldog and sent it flying. But as soon as the black dog came into contact with the tree, it took the form of a shapeless blot again and speeded towards Sasuke.
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Meanwhile, Hotaru's eyes snapped opened as she felt a tremendous amount of shadow magic in the forest surrounding Konoha.
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Shin grabbed Sasuke and suddenly Sasuke found himself surrounded by a ring of fire. There was a flash of light and suddenly Sasuke found himself near the edge of a river, miles away from the area they were just in. "Shin, what's going on?" demanded Sasuke. Shin didn't answer. Instead he took to the treetops. Sighing, Sasuke began to follow.
A few trees later, Shin stopped. Realizing that Sasuke was still following him, Shin knew he had to make a decision. It was too dangerous to sent Sasuke back, not when those black blots had his scent. At the same time it was too dangerous for Sasuke to continue travel with him. Shin weighed his options. He would rather have Sasuke travel with him rather then send the Uchiha boy back to the village, where he and the rest of the village were vulnerable to an attack.
"Shin, what is going on?" repeated Sasuke.
Again Shin didn't answer him, continuing to mumble under his breath. "There are five of them… At the speed they were going they'll find us in no time. I could take on all five of them, but then the matter of Uchiha-san." Sasuke considered hitting Shin on the head for ignoring him. It was too bad that he didn't have enough time to do that as those black shapes were back.
Shin began to panic. "Uchiha-san, is there any place near here that doesn't have too many shadows, like a clearing?" They needed to get away from the shadows. Shadow Magic grew stronger around darkness. A clearing would hold the least amount of shadows.
Sasuke blinked, surprised at the question. "There isn't one too far from here," he said.
"How far? I need the exact amount. A few feet off is okay, a rough estimate of miles will do," said Shin urgently.
Sasuke looked around him, trying to get his bearings. "I say about six and half miles from here," he estimated.
"Good." A ring of fire surrounded them again. Moments later, they were standing on the edge of the clearing.
Sasuke looked towards Shin. Shin was panting slightly as he tried to catch his breath. Teleporting took a lot out of him and teleporting two people was a strain. "How did you do that," asked Sasuke. Once again Shin didn't answer him. Beads of sweat ran down his face as Shin wiped it away. He was concentrating on the approaching blots.
"Be ready for anything," Shin finally said. "Those creatures will be back. I only bought us a little bit of time to separate the distance."
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Hotaru reappeared in the skies above Konoha. She peered off into the different directions, trying to locate Shin. It shouldn't be that hard. After all, Shin's aura was like a red supernova that stood out like a shinning star. 'There,' she thought to herself. Another gust of wind blew and she vanished again.
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Sasuke jumped away from another black blot. The only thing that seemed to have an effect on them was his fire jutsu. Other than that, they just passed through anything as if it wasn't there or didn't do any real damage. "What are these things?" he asked himself.
Apparently Shin heard him and gave him an answer for once. "They're Shadow Minions. It's a type of spell. They're similar to the creatures you shinobi summon, sort of. It's hard to explain. They hate the light and grow stronger in the shadows. The more light and the less shadows there are, the weaker they are.. Fire jutsu are probably the best way to deal with these creatures." Shin kicked one of the Shadow Minions. "Uchiha-kun, get back."
Sasuke, a little confused at the order, jumped away from the black shadow. His eyes widened as he watched a red glow surround Shin's hands. The glow grew brighter and brighter until it resembled a flame that danced with the wind. It was as if he was holding fire in his hands. The fire reflected in Shin's eyes, making them look as if they were completely blood red.
Shin made the motion of drawing a circle in front of him with his left hand. The red glow outlined the circle that Shin just drew. Shin placed his right hand in the center of the circle. "Ni'uh naol iaf,(1)" whispered Shin.
From the circle, a dragon made out of fire appeared, rising like a snake coming out of a basket. Its impressive size, heat, and light caused the shadow minions to pause. Suddenly the dragon flew towards the shadow minions, engulfing them in a ring of flames. That ring grew into a sphere that covered the shadow minions completely. Then the sphere dispersed, leaving nothing but dying embers behind.
Unfortunately, the fire dragon didn't get all of the shadow minions. Two remained. To make matters even worse, Shin suddenly just collapsed.
Shin had a grim look as he watched the two remaining shadow minions attack Sasuke. 'Looks like I used my energy a little too fast,' thought Shin to himself. How many times had Hotaru warned him of something like this?
Speaking of Hotaru…
Sasuke dodged another attack. However, before he could retaliate, the shadow minions froze in midair. Sasuke looked at the ground. A black star was holding them place. He looked up in the air to see Death floating in the air. He saw threads running from her hand to the trapped shadow minions. Using her other hand, she snapped the threads as if it were a brittle twig.
Instantly, the shadow creatures burst into thousands of pieces. Death floated to the ground and landed in front of Sasuke. She looked at him for a moment before turning her gaze towards Shin who managed to sit up. "I swear, you're going to kill yourself one day if you keep doing that," she said in a monotone voice.
Shin struggled to get to his feet. "You always say that," he mumbled. Sasuke could only stare. He still didn't have a single clue to what was going on. Death's gaze turned towards Sasuke once more. "You didn't listen did you? I believe the saying is, you're so goddamn stubborn."
Her eyes never left Sasuke as her next statement was addressed to Shin. "You might as well tell him everything. He's already in way over his head. Right now, him not knowing is more dangerous than telling him." Shin nodded in agreement.
Death waved her hand. Instantly, a black ring appeared on the ground, glowing slightly. As if there was an invisible chair floating beneath her, Death took a seat. Shin gave up trying to stand, and resumed his sitting position. Sasuke took a seat on the ground as well. He watched Death with a wary look. What he didn't expect, was for her to glow. Black melted into sun-kissed brown, crimson red turned amethyst purple, one black wing turned white; in Death's place now sat Hotaru.
Sasuke didn't say anything. Heck, he didn't even blink. "I trust you will not speak of what you hear and see to anyone," said Hotaru. Sasuke nodded. Who would believe him?
"There are many people who would believe you," said Hotaru.
That got a reaction from Sasuke. 'Did she just-'he thought.
"Read your mind," finished Hotaru. "Yes. I have minor telepathy. I can only read a person's mind if they are standing right next to me or if I had bonded with them." That was a bit of a lie, but she wasn't about to explain why she could hear his thoughts so clearly. It wasn't her fault that he was practically broadcasting his thoughts out loud.
Hotaru shot a look towards Shin. Shin nodded, took a deep breath and started what was going to be a very long explanation. "Your earlier theory about Hotaru and Death being one in the same, Uchiha-san, is correct. Any other questions you want answered?" asked Shin.
That was Sasuke's signal and he made plans to take full advantage to the offer. "Well, first I want to hear more about Hotaru and her kind. I've been told the stories and legends but I still don't know much about it," said Sasuke.
Hotaru rolled her eyes. Of course, should've seen that one coming. Looking at her little brother, she could already see him squirming to find a way to answer the question. "I'll field this one, Shin," she said much to Shin's relief. "It's not like you paid any attentions to the history lessons in the first place," Hotaru continued with a smirk on her face. Shin shot a glare at her for the comment.
Ignoring it, Hotaru returned her attention back to Sasuke. "I suppose a bit of an introduction is required. I am Hotaru, better known as the Angel of Life and Death. I come from a race called Slatrommi, Immortals in your language. As your friend told you, my kind can die, but time and sickness have little effect on us," said Hotaru. After taking a quick look into Shin's memory (despite Shin's protest), Hotaru knew how much the black haired boy knew about her and her race.
Hotaru continued with her tale. "Unfortunately a Great War that took place eons ago nearly wiped out my entire race. In this era there are seven of my kind left, myself included. Slatrommi were gifted with magic. The type of magic was divided into two categories: Nature Elemental and Cosmos Elemental. Nature Elemental is magic that involves nature." She made a gesture towards Shin. "Shin is Fire Elemental. Fire falls under his control. Shin, however, is human. I'll explain why he can wield fire magic later. Cosmos Elemental is magic that involves space and the unexplainable. I'm a Cosmos Elemental. Life and Death are my powers. Another type of Cosmos magic would be things like the stars or Time and Fate."
Sasuke nodded in understanding. Sounds simple enough. Of course usually when something sounds simple, it ends up a complicated mess.
"This is where the magic beings to become complicated. Even though I control Life and Death and its balance, if I were to die, the cycles of Life and Death would continue. However for a Nature Elemental, they are directly tied to their element. If an Air/Wind Elemental dies, it is said that the wind refuses to blow for many days. However, if the air becomes polluted, like with smoke, the Air Slatrommi weakens. Do you understand what I'm saying?" asked Hotaru. She didn't want to spend all her time trying to explain how magic work. Thinking about it, gave her a headache alone.
"Yeah, the general gist of it," said Sasuke. Shin continued to remain silent, having hear this explanation many times before.
"Good," said Hotaru. "Because I'm going to stop here. The detailed history of my race is way too long to go on explaining."
"So how is Shin able to use fire magic and who are the other Slatrommi?" asked Sasuke.
Hotaru let out a sigh. "Like the God's Eyes, there were a few humans would could control magic. Shin possesses fire magic, a gift that was thought to have been lost for ages. Oh, and by the way Uchiha-san, it's true you possess the God Eyes. However, you received this gift not because you were chosen by Fate, but because of your Sharingan. Apparently, your family's blood limit also contained the trait of the God Eyes. No one of your family realized this because there haven't been any Immortals around to see. As for the other Slatrommi, wellm don't concern yourself with them as you probably will never meet them."
Suddenly the thought of Itachi crossed Sasuke's mind. If the Sharingan was the reason why he could see Hotaru that meant Itachi… Hotaru's eyebrow rose as she saw a flash of panic gleam in Sasuke's eyes for a brief moment. She paused and thought about what could have caused it.
'Ah yes, his brother,' she mused to herself. She had several run-ins with the older Uchiha. Not that he knew who she was, but she was the reason why Shin had never run into Itachi. She loved sending Itachi and his partner on wild goose chases. It was quite fun.
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Usuyuki Sai pushed open the cold metal gates that led to his family's house. Well that is, if you would call it a house. It could be considered a mansion. But that was expected seeing who Sai was. (Not that anyone truly cares).
"Back from the exam already? Who did you lose to?"
Sai glared at the speaker. "None of your business, Seika."
Seika smirked. "It doesn't matter. I'll find out eventually, little cousin," she teased. "Anyways, the Yukikage wants to see you. I should warn you little cousin. Grandfather wants to hear every single detail." Her voice, while sounding sugary sweet, sang with the delight that Sai was going to be in trouble for once. It was her fault for being the weak link in the family. If Grandfather hadn't called her back, she would have been content with selling weapons in Konoha. But no, family failure or not, Grandfather had to call her back home for god-knows-what reasons.
Sai just grumbled and pushed past his older cousin, leaving Seika out in the snow by herself. Seika rolled her eyes and began to close the gate. She paused and blinked. She could have sworn she just saw two black dots with red clouds. Seika shook her head. It had to be the incoming blizzard playing tricks on her mind. No one in their right mind would be out there. A huge snowstorm was coming and not even the strongest of Shinobi could survive it.
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"So, do you know how the fire started and why they were after Iruka-sensei and the Tamashii family?" asked Sasuke.
Both Shin and Hotaru froze at the question. That was something they were not prepared to answer. Not that they wanted to answer that question in the first place. The easiest way out of this, lie.
"No," said Shin.
Unfortunately for them, Sasuke isn't fooled that easily. His eyebrow rose and his face held a look that said I-don't-believe-you.
((Uchiha-san isn't going to make this easy is he?))
$$I'm afraid not.$$
((Do we really have to tell him?))
$$If you want.$$
((You want me to tell him.))
$$I didn't say such a thing.$$
((But you're implying it.))
$$You made plans to make sure he travels with you, right? Kage will use this to his advantage but you certainly can't send him back Konoha. He knows too much.$$
((There is still the matter of Konoha…))
$$Mother sent Chi to watch over Konoha for the time being. If something comes up, she'll tell us.$$
((Isn't Chi a bit young to do that?))
$$ She's older than you. Oh, and Uchiha-san is sending us strange looks.$$
Sasuke's eyebrow rose even higher. It was obvious those two were having a conversation yet not a single word was being said. It was probably that telepathy thing Hotaru was talking about earlier. It did explain why Shin sometimes had a look on his face that seemed like he was miles away. Though his scarf did help to shield that look.
"Well?" asked Sasuke.
Even with his scarf, Shin looked nervous. He was hiding something, but Sasuke didn't know what.
"You might as well tell him what's going on. It's not like he can hear us, my spell prevents that," said Hotaru. She made a gesture towards the black ring that surrounded them. "If he's going to be traveling with you, he has to know for his own sake."
Shin let out a heavy sigh. "The one responsible for the fires is the man… creature I search for. He's a master of shadows and fire. He's name is Kage, he's an immortal like Hotaru but from a different race, Segak. He's also the one who sent those black blots after us. To put it shortly, he wants me dead but nly after he kills everyone I care about first. Kage is a creature of Shadows."
Sasuke blinked. A creature of shadows…? "Why are you searching for him?" asked Sasuke.
A spark of weariness appeared in Shin's eyes. "He's the one who took my memory Uchiha-san. I'd rather not discuss it." Sasuke glanced at Hotaru, surprised to find her looking away.
Suddenly, day and night met for brief moments. The transition between the two took place. As the sun breathed its last breath for the day, Hotaru's wings appeared. "It grows late. I have things to do. I trust you two will be alright for the evening." It was more of a statement than a question. Shin nodded.
Hotaru gave her little brother a soft, small smile. "Call if you need anything, otouto." There was a gust of wind and she was gone.
Sasuke blinked. "Otouto?" he asked. He looked at Shin.
Shin just gave a mysterious smile behind his mask. "She just started calling me that one day. It fits though, seeing as that I see her as an older sister."
"So how did she suddenly disappear like that?" asked Sasuke, pointing to the vacant area that Hotaru was just floating in.
Shin half shrugged. "She explained it to me once, but I still don't quite understand. Apparently she has this breeze that's follows her around. Not only does it keep her cool, but it also helps her to teleport from place to place. Apparently her boyfriend gave it to her," said Shin.
Sasuke just blinked again. Before he could ask anything else, Shin spoke again, "We better get going. We have to make camp since it's too dangerous to head to a village. Kage might attack us again. Sorry Uchiha-san, but it looks like you'll be traveling with me for awhile." Behind his scarf, Shin gave a small grin.
Sasuke stared before realizing why Shin said that. 'Of course, I know too much. This Kage guy probably knows that I'm with Shin. Sending me back to Konoha will only leave me and the village open for attack.' Sasuke nodded in understanding.
Shin held out his hand to help Sasuke up from the floor. It seemed Shin had recovered from his battle. Sasuke, surprisingly, accepted the help up. Shin pulled Sasuke up with ease. "Let's get started on our journey, ne, Uchiha-san?" said Shin. His eyes curled up. This journey shall be very interesting.
Sasuke smiled a small smile. Looks like he didn't have much of a choice. "Yeah," he said.
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From her room, Hotaru watched the two leave from a watching glass. A neutral expression played on her face and she made no movement or sound when someone entered her room.
"Shin htiw gnilevart ton er'ouy?" (You're not traveling with Shin?)
"flesmih fo nac yrehtorb," said Hotaru. (Younger brother can take of himself.)
There was a brief moment of silence as both seemed to contemplate what to say next. "You want Shin to remember, don't you? You've done all you can to help him remember, so you're hoping spending time with that Uchiha boy will jog his memory. Am I right?"
"You read too much into this, evol," said Hotaru. The look in her eyes sharpened. "Shin is Naruto, we both know that. I'm just merely setting the stage for the next act…"
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fai loan hu'in ('flying dragon ring') La/-/er provided that little spell. (La/-/er- It's cantonese, just in case anyone's wrecking their brains trying to figure this out)
Seito: So is everyone confused yet? You should be. I just dumped a lot of information on you guys and still brought more questions. I think that's it. –yawn- too tired to remember. Anyways…
PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
